This Kiss
by Kitsune Moonstar
Summary: Thirty stories for Zechs and Noin for the thirty kisses challenge.
1. Eye of the Storm

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set after episode nine and the liberation of the Sanc Kingdom. Theme 13: Filthy; Tainted

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**Eye of the Storm**

Noin quietly slipped into the darkened room. The battle to free the Sanc Kingdom was over. Now she just had to deal with the aftermath. Between Otto and the rest of the demons in Zechs' past, it was going to be a long night. Locking the door behind her, she scanned the room for its other occupant. They were short on rooms for the troops, and she had told the billeting officer she would take care of herself. If worst came to worst, she'd sleep in her mobile suit.

"Zechs?"

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and made her way over to where he sat on the cot.

"What are you doing here, Noin?"

She knelt beside him. "I wanted to see how you were doing. And to see if I could bunk with you. We're short on beds apparently."

"You should go. You'd be better off that way."

Biting back a sigh, she lifted his mask away. As much as she admired and respected and supported Treize's ideals and plans, she felt that he'd failed Zechs. He'd convinced her friend that the way for him to survive was to let no one close enough to her him, and once again, it looked like Treize's ideas about keeping distance from others were back in full force. Zechs was pushing her away again, probably in order to protect her. It wasn't going to work. She had managed to get past his walls once before, and she wasn't going to let him shut her out again. Distancing himself to protect her was very noble, but it would do neither of them good, and Noin wasn't completely sure it would work either.

"Zechs. What's wrong?"

He looked at his hands. "I'm a traitor. I've betrayed everything my family stood for. I can't even call myself a Peacecraft anymore. My hands are stained with blood for that. I don't even deserve to be alive."

"Do I deserve to live?"

That startled him into meeting her eyes. Noin moved so she was kneeling in front of him. Taking his hands in her own, she gently pressed a kiss to the palm of each.

"These hands are the same as mine. My parents believed the same things yours did. I have betrayed their ideals just as much. I too have killed."

"But it's different for you." It burst from his lips. "You don't--"

"How is it different?"

"You only kill when you have to. When you're ordered to. I planned this. I knew what I was getting into. I knew I would have to kill, and I went through with it anyway."

"I knew what I was getting into when I joined OZ, Zechs. I knew I would have to kill. I joined anyway. Did you enjoy it? Did you desire to kill them? Was it easy to do? Would you have done it if you didn't have to?"

"No," the answer came slowly. "I didn't want to kill anyone. And I don't enjoy it. It makes me feel…dirty, unclean. But I have to, if I don't--"

"I know. Neither of us have any sort of future if things don't change. We'd live our lives in fear that someone had discovered the past. And it's not just the two of us, we're protecting by doing this. Relena is safe for now, but how much longer? How long until someone somehow discovers who she really is?" Her hands came up to cup his face. "You're human, Zechs. You're not blameless, but then no one is. You have regrets. But we're alive in part because of the decisions you made. Your father might be disappointed in some of the choices you've made, but I think he would rather you be alive than dead because of his ideals."

Zechs met her eyes, searching for something. She wasn't sure what he was looking for, but his arms went around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest.

"_Ti amo, il mio cuore._" The whisper of her native Italian caught her by surprise. "_Lei me dà spera._"

His arms tightened and then let go, pulling away as if in pain. Noin frowned. "Your injuries? When was the last time you took a pain killer?"

"Just before Otto took Tallgeese."

Noin sighed, rising to her feet. "You're overdue for another dose then. I don't understand you sometimes, Zechs. You have a brilliant strategic mind and yet can never remember to take care of yourself when it matters. Where have you put the pills the doctor gave you?"

"They should be underneath the maps for the harbor, I think," he sounded almost amused. "You do realize that there's a reason your students refer to you as 'Mother'."

She glared at him. "Would you like a time out?"

Retrieving the orange bottle, she shook out two pills. Thankfully, Zechs had been given a suite with amenities due to his rank, so a glass of water wasn't hard to come by. She handed the pills to Zechs and held out the glass of water.

"You are going to take those, and then you are going to sleep. The doctor said you needed plenty of rest for a speedy recovery."

"I still have things to do."

Exasperated, Noin found herself glaring at him, hands on her hips. "That is why you have subordinates. The paperwork is being taken care. Treize has yet to assign you a new mission, so there are no battle plans to work on. So what pray tell is more important than taking care of yourself?"

He actually laughed. "I would say getting you into bed with me, but I'm afraid you'd just hurt me."

Later, curled up in the shared bed, she lay awake, listening to Zechs breath. They had survived so far with hearts and minds mostly intact, but the battles were far from over. He had let the past go today enough to laugh and tease her, if only for a little while and only to ease her fear and worry for him, but it could and mostly would come back to haunt him. There was still so much more to come. She had stayed by his side this far, but there were no guarantees. Next week she could be reassigned or injured. She could even be killed. This was a war. That wasn't what she feared. Noin feared loosing Zechs to his demons more than anything else. As long as she was with him, she did not fear him weathering that storm.

The arm around her waist tightened, and she sighed. She could not predict the future any more than Zechs could change the past. All she could do was provide what support she could in future and enjoy the brief respite she had for now.

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_Italian Translation: I love you, my heart. You give me hope._


	2. The Prince and His Contessa

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is set about year before Relena's birth. Both Zechs and Noin are about four years old. Theme 20: Potential

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**The Prince and His Contessa**

The garden was warm and sunny. Flowers were in bloom everywhere filling the area with a heady fragrance. A fountain cheerfully burbled, and at first it was the epitome of a peaceful spring day, perfect for lovers. Stephan Peacecraft knew better. This garden was about to become one of the most important battlefields in his son's life. His son would meet his future wife today, and if all went well, the children would take to one another. That had been the reason behind arranging the marriage so early.

His friend and supporter, Leopold Noin, had a daughter the same age as his son. Politically, it was a good match. Both Noin and his wife were believers in the ideals of total pacifism, and the family was closely related to the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. Noin himself was the Duca of Florence while his wife had passed on the title of Contessa of Livorno to her daughter when the child had been born. Add to that the fact that the girl's maternal grandmother was a minor Sanc noble, and it couldn't have been a smarter match.

However, there was still that matter of the children themselves. Stephan knew that children could be most unpredictable. Hopefully, enough time spent together would form some sort of bond between the two if they didn't take to each other right away. Milliardo was a stubborn child, and while he wasn't anti-social, he had few friends among the children his age and no close friends what so ever.

The king watched as his wife and Donnatella Noin led the children into the garden. They were a contrast in looks. The two children shared pale skin, but that was all. Like his father, Milliardo showed his Northern heritage in fine, platinum blond locks and icy eyes. Most of the time his hair was an unruly mop, but for today's meeting it had been neatly combed. The little contessa, on the other hand, was a dark little beauty. Shoulder length raven hair was pulled back from her face with barrettes, and the girl's eyes were an unusual dark violet.

"May I present his Royal Highness Crown Prince Milliardo Emrys Stephan Zechs Peacecraft of the Sanc Kingdom?" Katrina Peacecraft made the introduction. "Prince Milliardo, this is Contessa Lucrezia Alessa Fiammetta Illeana Noin of Livorno."

The two children warily sized each other up. Lucrezia tipped her head to the side. "Zechs?"

His son considered her. "Noin."

He held out his hand to her. "Did you know there's a fairy that lives in the lilac bushes?"

Her fingers curled around his and a smile kissed her lips. "Really?"

Stephan watched as the two disappeared into the garden and turned to his friend. "Well, Leopold, I think we've done it."

The dark haired man laughed. "Oh, my friend, but think of the trouble we had just set ourselves up for. If you though your son's antics were a hassle, just think what potential for trouble they have together."


	3. Belief in Things Unseen

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set after the end of the series but before Endless Waltz. Theme 5: Denial

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**Belief in Things Unseen**

Noin knew she wasn't in denial. Unfortunately, convincing anyone of that fact was proving impossible. Neither Une nor Sally would accept what she said on faith. And while Noin did have quite solid proof that one Zechs Marquise was still alive, that proof would cause more trouble than Noin was willing to deal with. The fact that she and Zechs were married was not common knowledge and the full circumstances behind the marriage would take quite a bit of explanation.

The truth of the matter was Zechs Marquise was currently in a coma at hospital on L-3. He had suffered a number of serious injuries as well as minor head trauma in the final battle. Noin knew this because two weeks after Libra she has received a phone call trying to locate Noin Marquise, Mr. Marquise's next of kin. She had been on the next shuttle to L-3 afterwards.

It was the one and only time she had visited him. Even with what the doctor had told her, she hadn't been prepared for the sight of Zechs hooked up to all the tubes and machines. Noin had stayed long enough to make arrange and then fled back to earth. As much as she loved Zechs, she couldn't stay. It hurt too much to see him like that. And she would admit to being afraid that if she stayed, she would lose faith in him recovering. She didn't want to remember him that way. She wanted to remember water fights in the Sanc Palace's fountains and stolen kisses at Victoria.

One day the hospital would call to tell her that he had left. She wouldn't be surprised. Zechs would need time to adjust and make some decisions. And as much as she wanted to be back at his side, Noin knew that he needed to do some of it on his own. Zechs needed to learn to let go if he was going to survive, and that was something he needed to do for himself. Not her.

She had faith in him though. He would wake up, and he would find his purpose to his life again. And he would find her. He had found her when they each believed the other to be dead. She could deal with Une's lectures about moving on and letting go and Sally's attempts to get her to date. She had faith in him and in them.


	4. Lost Contessa Found

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set during Zechs and Noin's first year at Lake Victoria. Theme 19: Musical Chairs.

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**Lost Contessa Found**

There were a number of drawbacks to Lake Victoria Academy. Of course, that would be true of almost any Alliance run school. The main problem was that what the Alliance called history wasn't that accurate to one who had lived through some of the events. It was easy to tell who had suffered at there hands by the subtle signs of anger during the lesson. Zechs might be good at hiding his emotions, but some of the others still showed visible signs.

He had come prepared for today. They were covering the so called Easter War with the Sanc Kingdom today. Zechs passed the class watching the other students. For the most part, they were mindlessly absorbing the work of fiction. Except for Noin. Her hands were clenched around her pencil so tightly were knuckles were white. He could see a trace of blood on her lip; she had been biting it since the teacher had starting talking about the royal family.

Noin was an enigma. She was one of the few girls in their year, and the only other student worthy of his time. She consistently had scores equal to his in everything except for science and languages. She had the edge when it came to physics, math, and engineering while he was stronger when it came to literature and philosophy. And her skills when it came to languages were unbelievable. The dark haired girl also had a respect for privacy that was unusual. They had formed a study group of sorts. And while she pushed him to improve, she also was very much a reminder of what he had lost, if only because of her name.

From what he knew, Noin was an orphan. Probably from Germany given her surname. He didn't know her first name. No one here used it. And she was currently furious. He watched as she stalked out of the classroom the moment class was dismissed. Zechs would admit to curiosity being the main reason he was following her. Nothing had ever provoked Noin like this, not even the nasty pranks that had been played on her throughout their first month at the school.

It wasn't until they had reached the edges of the training grounds that she let loose. Zechs was fairly certain she was oblivious to his presence. He certainly would have never voiced such thoughts with anyone in earshot.

"—and the treaty. The damn illegal treaty. Signed by whom? Certainly not anyone with legitimate authority. The king and queen were dead. Relena couldn't have signed her own name. She was only two for God's sake! And Zechs would have died before he signed it. He probably did. He was too stubborn to let them win."

And everything fell into place. Her name, her eyes, her hair. They were familiar because he knew them. Her anger made sense. The Alliance had taken not only her family but her future family as well. She was facing away from him, unaware of presence.

"Contessa." It slipped from his mouth unbidden.

She froze, her entire body tense. Zechs lifted the mask from his head, waiting. She turned, eyes widening.

"Your royal highness." It was barely a whisper.

Zechs smiled. It was an old game. They had never stood on ceremony with each other, but at court there conventions to be upheld, hence the formal acknowledgement of their titles. Once that had been observed, any trace of formality between the two of them was typically dropped.

He dropped the mask as Noin threw herself into his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder, and Zechs could feel a damp spot forming. He just held on to her. Here was one thing, one person who he hadn't lost. He still had his contessa. He kissed the top of her head and let her cry.

Eventually, her tears stopped. Zechs had the presence of mind to steer them towards a shady corner where they would be out of sight. He had a feeling that explanations would take awhile. He tugged Noin down to sit next to him, leaning against a tree.

"What happened? Everything I could find reported your death." Noin bit her lip. "I thought I'd lost you."

"I was lucky. Relena had already been sent to safety, but I was still living at the palace. I had gotten in trouble that morning and was hiding in the hedge maze, the one we always pretended was infested with fairies. Pagen was out looking for me when the attack came. He hid us in the old gardener's shed. It wasn't much of a battle, more of a massacre. By the time it was over, we were part of a handful of survivors. Pagen took me to Treize. Apparently, the Kushranadas owed a debt of honor to my family. They took me in. I lived with them until Treize offered me a chance to train in order to overthrow the Alliance." There was very little emotion in his recitation. Zechs didn't want to deal with the emotions that went with those memories today. Not when he had something to be happy about.

Noin squeezed his hand. "And Relena?"

He smiled. "Safely ensconced with the Darlian family. Richard Darlian and his wife, Pagan, myself, and now you are the only people who know that Relena Darlian was born Relena Peacecraft. Treize has his suspicions that she is still alive, but nothing more than that."

He ran a hand through his hair, taking the chance to really look at her. Noin had been six the last time they had been together. It was inevitable that she would have changed, but some things had remained the same. Yes, she was taller and had short hair, but her eyes were the same. A little sadder maybe, but still the same violet that used to sparkle with mischief and excitement.

"What happened to you, Noin? I saw the reports on your family. There was a dark haired little girl found with your parents bodies." He had locked himself in his room for three days after that. He hadn't wanted to accept her loss. He had lost everyone at that point. The hope that her family would survive was all he had had left.

"She was one of the servants' children I think. Not that anyone cared." Her smile was bitter. "I was at confirmation class with the nuns. I hadn't wanted to go. I was so mad. They kept saying how wonderful God was, and all I knew is that God had let my best friend be murdered. After the attack, the sisters took to one of their orphanages. They decided I could stay Lucrezia Noin, but I was to tell everyone I was German born named after an Italian grandmother. It wasn't a problem since I was already fluent in both German and Italian."

Noin sighed, twining her fingers with his own. "After that, I was shuffled around by the church and the Alliance. It was like playing musical chairs. As soon as I got settled into once place, they would send me to another. The Alliance finally paid attention to my test score and sent me here."

Noin leaned her head against his shoulder. "They never gave me a choice in the matter.

"_Il mia povera Contessa piccola._" He smiled, resting his head against hers; her hair still smelled like lilacs and lavender just like when they were children. "If they hadn't sent you here, I wouldn't have known you were still alive."  
She smiled at him. "True."

"Lucrezia Alessa Fiammetta Illeana Noin." Her name rolled off his tongue. "What shall I call you now, contessa?"

"I have always been Noin to you, your highness."

He fingered a lock of her hair. "True. You'll always be my Noin."

They sat in silence for awhile, just enjoying each other's company. Zechs knew they were missing classes, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He sighed when a thought occurred to him.

"Zechs?"

"No one can know, Noin."

She frowned at him. "I don't understand."

"No one can know what you were to me, are to me. I can't risk it." He met her eyes. "I can't give them any hint of who I was or weakness to exploit. All I can be in public is your classmate and friend, Noin."

She lifted her chin in a stubborn gesture he remembered all to well. "I can accept that, Zechs, in public. In private, you'd better remember that you're my best friend. I have as much reason to be involved as you do. I'm your partner in this. You're not alone."

He pressed another kiss to the top of her head. She was right. He had her.

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Italian Translation: My poor little Contessa. 


	5. The Sneeze in the Cathedral

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set shortly after Relena's birth. Theme 28: Sin.

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**The Sneeze in the Cathedral**

Katrina Peacecraft watched with a smile as her future daughter-in-law made face at her son while his nanny fussed over his suit. The little Italian girl was perched on a window seat, looking adorable in a white dress embroidered with violets. The only thing that marred the scene was the silly faces she was making.

Neither of the children practically liked getting dressed up, but as this morning was Relena's christening, they didn't have a choice in the matter. To prevent a battle over the formal clothes, though, the children had been told they could have a slumber party if they would behave the next morning. The bribe had worked quite well.

"There. You're all done, Master Milliardo." The nanny flicked one last hair into place. "You sit right there with your contessa while I help you mother with the princess."

Katrina burped Relena then handed the baby over to the nanny with a smile. All of the servants had taken to referring to Lucrezia as 'the prince's contessa'. Shortly after Lucrezia's introduction to the Sanc court, a young lord had condescendingly addressed her as 'Miss Noin'. Milliardo had firmly corrected him.

"She's the Contessa of Livorno. You may address her as Contessa Noin, Lady Noin, or my lady."

The servants had all been charmed the prince's defense of his little fiancée had referred to her as 'the prince's contessa' ever since.

"Now, you two will be on your best behavior, I trust." The nanny continued, deftly dressing Relena in her christening gown. "It would be a sin to cause trouble in the house of God."

Katrina shook her head. She didn't think either of the children would cause any trouble today. Both of them had been thrilled at being considered old enough to be part of the ceremony. Relena seemed to have charmed them both.

Everything went fine up until the middle of ceremony. The cardinal held Relena in his arms. "What name have you chosen for this child?"

"Relena Anchoret Cytheria Irina Peacecraft."

"Relena Anchoret Cytheria Irina Peacecraft, I baptize thee in the name of--"

Lucrezia sneezed. Not a delicate little sneeze, but one that resounded through out the cathedral. The cardinal blinked. The poor little girl looked horrified. With great dignity, Milliardo produced a handkerchief and handed it to his contessa. The prince kissed the back of her hand and then spoke to the cardinal. "You may continue, your eminence."

Katrina bit the inside of her mouth to keep from giggling. That was her son all right. He was going to be such a good big brother.


	6. A Glimpse Behind the Mask

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set during Relena's reign of the Sanc Kingdom. Theme 2: Snapshot.

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**A Glimpse Behind the Mask**

She hadn't meant to snoop, but Relena couldn't help herself. She knew so little about this woman who had become her guardian and friend, and given the opportunity to peek around Noin's room a little, she couldn't pass it up. While she waited for the older woman to finish in the bathroom, Relena poked through the various items scattered around the room.

Noin had an odd collection of things. Her taste in books and music was elective with everything from philosophy to suspense novel and classical music to classic rock. Most of her knickknacks seemed space themed. And then there were the pictures. Noin had very few pictures. There were a few from Lake Victoria with her students and a collage of pictures of her brother. There was one with Relena herself. And there was one with a blond haired, blue eyed man carrying Noin piggyback. She supposed this could be her brother; she had never seen him without his mask. It was an adorable picture really. Noin was perched on the young man's back, arms wrapped around his neck. His head was turned to the side to kiss her cheek.

"I see you found your brother." Noin's amused voice came from behind her. "I think that's the only one I have without his mask."

Relena jumped, dropping the picture frame. Noin just laughed, easily catching the frame. She smiled fondly at the picture. "That was taken about a month after my eighteenth birthday. I'm about four months younger than he is, you know."

"I didn't. When's his birthday?"

Noin sat on the bed, gesturing for Relena to do the same. "The nineteenth of January, mine's the first of May."

Relena reached for the picture again. She traced her brother's face. "He has such nice eyes. I've never seen him without the mask. At least not that I remember."

"I'll see if anyone has some of the old pictures of you two. I'm sure some have survived." Noin tapped the frame. "This was a vacation in Italy. That's why he's not wearing the mask. We were far enough out in the countryside that he wasn't too worried about being recognized."

Relena tried to reconcile the smiling man in the picture with the masked man she had briefly met in Antarctica. "He seems so relaxed and happy. I would have never guessed he could smile like that."

"It was the last time we got together before everything started. We knew that it might be years before we could just be two friends on vacation." Seemingly lost in thought, Noin reached out a finger to trace Zechs' face. "This was our second to last day. We were out in the Tuscan countryside, visiting an old estate. I fell down a hill and sprained my ankle. Zechs insisted on carrying me back to the village. One of the villagers took the photo."

"I wish I actually knew him instead knowing of him."

"You will one day. I can make you a copy of the photo if you'd like." Noin levered herself to her feet. "Your class is going to be starting soon. Pacifism won't teach itself."

Relena reluctantly put down picture. "I'd like that. Do you think you could tell me more about that vacation later?"

"Of course. Shall we, your highness?"

She shook out her skirt. She had work to do. "Yes."


	7. Basic Anatomy

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set during Zechs and Noin's time at Lake Victoria. Theme 29: Science.**  
**

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**Basic Anatomy**

They were supposed to be studying for the biology final coming up. The truth of the matter was neither Zechs nor Noin were paying to much attention to their textbooks. Noin was perched bed while he sat on the floor. They had spent the past hour drilling for the tactics class, and they were currently loosing the battle to stay focused on school work.

Zechs had long since discarded the mask. He leaned against the foot of the bed, eyes closed in exhaustion. Noin played with his hair, constructing braids of various sizes. With a sigh, she let go of his hair, her hands falling to his shoulders. He sat up a little straighter as she started kneading his shoulders.

"God, Zechs. What have you been doing? You're back's in knots."

He shrugged. "It's finals week. What do you expect?"

Her hands continued to move across his shoulders. "I expect you to take care of yourself. We can't have our next great commander collapsing on the battle field due to high blood pressure."

That was his Noin all right. Always worrying about him. Zechs sighed and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander. And as it had been frequently in the past few months, it decided to wander to the subject of Noin.

Raven hair framing a pale face with dark violet eyes. A slender frame that belied its strength. Delicate hands that were deft at everything from repairing mobile suits to sewing stitches in first aid. And her mind. Noin was the only one among their classmates who could keep up with him academically. In the fields of linguistics and engineering she even surpassed him. She had a keen grasp of knowledge, but what was most amazing to him was her ability to read him. Whenever they were partnered for anything, he rarely needed to voice his plans or ideas. Noin was always right where he needed her, ready with whatever he needed without ever being asked. And she seemed to know exactly what he needed to hear, even when he didn't know it himself.

It was hard to believe how much was wrapped up in her. She was his childhood friend and his fiancée due to a contract signed by their parents. She was his companion and confidant, the only one here at Lake Victoria who knew who he really was. Actually, she was only one besides Treize who knew who he really was. And she knew his plans. Knew them and offered her support. She offered him a shoulder to lean on, an ear when he needed someone to listen, and simply a presence when he needed not to be alone.

"Zechs? Hey, anybody in there?" Noin's voice called him back to the present.

He tilted his head back to look at her. "Come're, I want to try something."

The bed creaked as Noin moved to sit beside him. She tilted her head to the side, clearly an inquiry of what was going on, and Zechs found himself considering his best friend's face. Or actually, he found himself considering her lips. Unconsciously, he brushed her bangs out of those violet eyes, his hand winding its way into her hair. He pressed his lips softly against hers. He could feel her intake of breath before she returned the pressure.

It was a little awkward definitely enjoyable. Zechs pulled away to find a pair of shining eyes and a gentle smile. Noin tucked a strand of hair behind his ear before trailing her hand down his cheek. "Where did that come from?"

He shrugged. "I was thinking about you."

She blushed, a dark rose brushing across her cheeks. He couldn't help stealing another kiss.

"We're supposed to be studying," came a gentle if halfhearted reminder.

He smiled. "Isn't anatomy on one of the exams?"


	8. His Polaris

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set about two years after Endless Waltz. Theme 9: Reach for the Stars.

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**His Polaris**

The pale light from Mars' moons illuminated the pale skin of the figure laying in the bed next, causing the delicate chain of stars around her throat to glimmer. Zechs gently traced the curve of his wife's neck. Tonight had been their anniversary, and Noin was worn out from their celebrations. It was technically their fourth anniversary, even though they had only really celebrated two of them.

It had been two years since they had arrived on Mars. Exhausted from the aftermath of the Barton Incident, he and Noin had quietly settled into a fairly normal life. Noin had joined the engineers of the project while he took on just about anything he could help with. It was a small community, mostly singles and couples in their early twenties and thirties. The two of them had spent their first six months there adjusting to both living as a couple for the first time.

Despite the fact they had known each other for most of their lives, it had not been an easy six months. Zechs didn't think he had ever fought that much with her in his entire life. It wasn't just the two of them though. His reputation had followed him, and the others at the Terraforming Project were not quite sure what to make of him. It had taken time for them to accept him let alone befriend him.

Noin shifted in her sleep, hair falling across her face. Zechs brushed it away. Things had worked out though. For the first time in their lives, they had actually been fairly normal young people. And Noin had been beside him the entire time. Even when they were screaming obscenities at each other, she had still remained there with him. She remained his constant as she had since he had found her again at Lake Victoria. She was his north star, his Polaris. He honestly didn't know what he would do without her.

She stirred again and let out a sleepily little sigh. A pair of violet eyes peered at him.

"Zechs?" She pressed a kiss to the base of his neck. "What are you thinking about?"

His fingers skimmed across her cheek. "You mostly."

"Oh?"

Zechs kissed her forehead. "I'm very glad you're here with me."

"There's no place that I'd rather be."

He traced the stars around her neck again before kissing her. Noin slipped an arm around his neck, her hand sliding through his hair.

"You know, you couldn't get rid of me if you tried." She smiled up at him.

"I know." He pulled her closer. "_La mia stella del nord._"

He kissed her forehead and her nose. "_Il mio Polaris_."

She shifted, and suddenly Zechs found his wife perched on top of him. With an impish grin, she leaned over him, breath ghosting over his skin.

"_È stato un anniversario molto piacevole._" She kissed first one cheek then the other. "_Ti amo, il mio marito._"

He reached for her hands, feathering kisses over her fingertips.

"_La notte ancora finito,_" his hands sliding into her hair, bringing her still closer, "_il mio amore._"

He kissed her, holding the only star he ever wanted to reach.

* * *

Italian Translation: My north star. My Polaris. 

It has been a very nice anniversary. I love you, my husband.

The night is not yet over, my love.


	9. Assuat

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set about during the early years at Lake Victoria. Theme 9: Mechanical.

* * *

**Assuat**

It was the most impressive sight at Lake Victoria Academy. When Cadets Marquise and Noin fenced, everyone watched. It wasn't just their form, which was exquisite, but the fact that the two somehow moved perfectly in tune with each other. It wasn't a mechanical perfection; it was fluid and organic, changing and evolving even as the fencers themselves did. And it wasn't as if they were playing with each other, prolonging the bout. No, the two of them simply knew each other well enough to counteract most moves easily.

They were almost one being. The two students were nearly indistinguishable from each other. Noin and Marquise were about the same height, and while Noin was a young woman, she had yet to fill out enough to really differentiate her from the other boys. The flow of their bouts was smooth and uninterrupted.

Attack. Parry. Riposte. Lunge. Recover. The kiss of steel against steel. It was almost like poetry.


	10. The Fairy in the Garden

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is AU and set sometime after the series. Theme 1:Lilac.

* * *

**The Fairy in the Garden**

"I think I saw a fairy in the maze garden."

Zechs tried to figure out if his sister's comment was a warning or just a comment. For the first time nearly fourteen years the Sanc Kingdom was celebrating the Flower Fairy Festival. Women throughout the country would don the mantle of a specific flower, wearing a garland of their chosen flower and carrying a basket of blooms. A flower was offered in exchange for a kiss. An offer of the fairy's circlet meant significantly more. He knew the festival had roots in old pagan fertility rituals, but anymore it had become an excuse for trysting.

And given that, Zechs was quite interested in avoiding all fairies all together. He had become the kingdom's favorite bachelor, despite the fact that he technically didn't live there and worked for the Preventers. Nearly every single woman at the festival would be throwing flowers at him, and the only lady he was interested in was currently on assignment in the colonies. He had no intention of spending the day fending off advances.

Relena must have seen the look on his face. "I only saw one. The garden should be safe enough to hide in."

She adjusted her circlet, deciding to change the subject. "What do you think?"

His little sister had taken the mantle of the Rose Fairy. Dressed in a light sun dress of dusky rose chiffon underskirted in cream, she looked the part too. Her hair had been curled than allowed to tumble over her shoulders, crowned with a delicate circlet of Cecile Bruner roses. She looked adorable.

"I'd be worried if I didn't know Heero was going with you," he teased. "You look beautiful, Relena."

She beamed and kissed his cheek. "Try and have a good time. Even if it is just curling up with a book in your room."

"I will."

He watched as headed off, basket in hand, with Heero as a silent shadow. At least he didn't need to worry about anyone taking advantage of his sister. He doubted anyone other than Heero would be offered one of Relena's roses.

With a sigh, he turned back towards the palace. Maybe he would take a walk in the maze garden before heading back inside. Besides, there were probably half a dozen fairies lurking by his quarters anyway. He'd take a nice long walk, and hopefully, any lurkers would be gone by the time he was finished.

Zechs had good memories of the maze garden. He and Noin had played there when they were little. The hedges were over eight feet tall, and the maze was dotted with various trees and flowering bushes. The center contained a grassy lawn with an ancient oak in the middle. Whenever Noin had visited them with her family, the two of them often made sport of loosing their minders in the maze.

For the festival the gardens had been decorated in lights. Fairy lights were strung throughout the hedges while lanterns had been hung from the trees. In the dimming twilight, it really did look like the realm of the faerie. Zechs wandered the maze, remembering past games of hide and seek, picnics on the lawn, and snowball fights. A soft breath of sound caught his attention, drawing his gaze to the old Rowan tree. A smile quirked his lips. He had found Relena's fairy.

She was perched on a wide branch low on the tree. A pair of dainty white feet peeked out from dark violet skirts. The dark fabric hugged a slim body and wrapped around her pale neck. The fairy's eyes were full of mischief, and her full lips held an impish smiled. Her raven hair was crowned with lilacs. Mutely, she held out her hands in invitation.

Zechs kissed her palms before letting his hands span her waist, lifting her from her perch. He set the lilac fairy down on the grass. With an impish smile, she slid a delicate hand into his. A soft giggle escaped her, and suddenly they were racing through the maze; Zechs following after the fairy.

She led him deeper into the maze. Zechs followed her across the grass to the ancient oak at the center of the garden maze. Noin came to a stop under the lanterns, their light illuminating her form. By her feet lay a picnic blanket spread with a light dinner and bottle of wine. Solemnly, she lifted the crown of lilacs from her head and held it out to him.

Accepting the circlet, Zechs brought her fingertips to his lips. A smile lit Noin's face, and she sank down onto the picnic blanket, her skirt pooling around her.

"Will you dine with me, my prince?"

He seated himself beside her. "And to what do I owe this charming treat?"

Noin leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her.

"I missed you." She kissed his cheek. "Besides, I know how you get when you're being hunted by the ladies. It's a holiday for you too. I wanted you to enjoy it."

"My darling," he kissed her. "Any time spent with you is enjoyable."

He set the crown back upon her head and gently laid her back on the blanket. His fairy smiled up at him. "I believe you're starting with dessert, my prince."

"You did say you wanted me to enjoy the holiday." He kissed her nose. "I believe you did offer me your crown."

"It was always yours."


	11. Home

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set about three years after Endless Waltz. Theme 26: The Difference

* * *

**Home**

Zechs surveyed his office with a sigh. Given the current state of things, if he was lucky, he would be done by seven. Right now that was a big if. But the mountains of paperwork wouldn't take care of themselves, so he simply sighed again and waded into the fray. He had been back at Preventer HQ for nearly three months now, but it wasn't the same. Instead of his beloved Noin, he shared an office with one Preventer Heat. He was a decent preventer, but he wasn't Zechs' partner.

Noin was currently seven months pregnant and confined to bed rest. She wasn't happy about the situation, but there was little she could do about it either. They had been lucky that Dr. Gainsborough had caught the problem when she did back on Mars. They had been able to get Noin back to Earth and its more advanced medical facilities with little risk involved. It would be at least a year before they could return to Mars, so Zechs had returned to his old job at Preventer Headquarters.

Other than that though, not much had changed. He and Noin had settle in a little villa situated above the city. It was a slightly longer commute than he liked, but the house was too charming pass up. It was strange working without Noin at his side, but he was not about to risk either her or their child, so he put up with his revolving door of temporary partners. With another sigh, Zechs turned to the mountains of paperwork. Woolgathering would not get all this done.

It was nine when Zechs finally surrendered the battle to the paperwork. He slipped into the quiet house, not bothering to turn on the lights. All he wanted was to be back at his wife's side; sleep would also be nice. Kicking off his shoes, Zechs dumped his briefcase on the couch and went in search of his wife.

He found her propped up in bed, a book abandoned on the sheets beside her. Moonlight from the open window spilled across her face, highlighting the dark lashes resting on her cheeks. One hand lay across her gravid belly. He covered it with his own, hoping to feel the baby kick. There was a soft flutter of movement, and a pair of violet eyes flickered open.

"Your son has been keeping me up again."

"Our daughter simply takes after her mother, curious about everything." He kissed her forehead. "Would you like a hot water bottle?"

"Please." She tugged him down for a kiss. "Welcome home, Zechs."

He smiled, heading for the kitchen. This was what he had fought the wars for: a home and a family. This was all he would ever need.


	12. Off the Map

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set directly after Endless Waltz. Theme 6: Off the Map.

* * *

**Off the Map**

Noin let out a contented little sigh, and Zechs smiled. He wouldn't mind staying like this for the rest of his life. The chess game was long over, that battlefield being surrendered to Noin, and now they were simply resting, recovering from the past few days. They had curled up on one of the bunk, Noin's injured ankle propped up on a pillow. Their course was set for Mars, and to tell the truth, there really was nothing much to do.

He wasn't actually quite sure what they were getting themselves into with the terraforming project. But he had spent most of his life destroying things, and he liked the idea of being part of building something for a change. He also liked the idea of finally having a chance for Noin and himself be a couple. Technically, they had been married for two years now. Of course, in the time they had probably only spent a month or two at most in each other's company.

Zechs wasn't quite sure how this marriage thing was supposed to work out. The two of them had married for a number of reasons, both logistical and romantic. That didn't mean they were knew what they were doing. Still, he and Noin had managed to survive revolt, invasion, and war. They would be able to figure it out.

A sharp elbow in his side jolted him out of his thoughts.

"Stop brooding, Zechs. You're keeping me awake." She pressed a kiss to his throat in apology then yawned. "I've barely slept in the past seventy-two hours. I went straight from a mission to the party and then right back to work."

He ruffled her hair then frowned. "Will they understand why you just up and left with me?"

An impish grin appeared. "I hope so. I think I left Relena a big enough hint."


	13. Unthinkable

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set directly after Zechs nearly kills Noin with Epyon.. Theme 3: The Speed of Dark.

* * *

**Unthinkable**

His hands were shaking. The adrenaline was high, and Epyon was screaming at him. God, had he just? He checked his monitors again, trying to calm his breathing. Noin's Taurus was still there complete with life sign.

He'd nearly killed her. When had things gotten so out of hand? Zechs called her image to mind a talisman against the fate that had almost occurred. How could he have come so close? The heat of battle was no excuse, the speed of the dark outside blurring all targets together into one. This was Noin; she was everything.

His past. His conscience. His first kiss. His companion. His subordinate. His friend. His wife. His future. His world. There was nothing left for him should she be destroyed. The future without her was unthinkable. Life without her was unthinkable.

Zechs shook his head, trying to clear it. He had to see things through. He couldn't let this mistake shake him. He just needed to know she was safe, and then he could finish things.


	14. Daddy's Little Girl

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set four years after Endless Waltz. Theme 10: Puppet on a String.

* * *

**Daddy's Little Girl**

With dark hair and a winsome smile, Caryn Fidelia Marquise had her father wrapped around her finger. Noin leaned against the doorframe watching her husband entertain their daughter with a teddy bear. Caryn had taken after her in looks except for her eyes. When she had been born, they were ice blue like her father's. They had darkened with time, but they were still a hue somewhere between dark blue and violet.

Caryn giggled and reached for Zechs' hair. She was her daddy's princess. Zechs had been nervous about fatherhood, but during the pregnancy he'd settled down. At least until Caryn's birth. That had scared him more than nearly killing her with Epyon. Not that Noin blamed him. It had terrified her.

She'd been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia early in her pregnancy and spent most of the nine months on bed rest. Childbirth had nearly killed both her and her daughter. She had known something was going wrong, but the doctors wouldn't or couldn't tell her what was wrong, and she had been terrified for her baby.

They had both survived. Caryn, once out of the birth canal, had been strong and healthy. Noin herself had needed a transfusion and had been kept two days for observation at the hospital. And it had been worth it. Noin wouldn't give Caryn up for anything. It helped to know that her daughter would never have to go through the things she and Zechs had as children.

"Mama!"

Caryn took several unsteady steps toward her. Zechs turned towards her with a grin. "Dinner?"

"On the table." Noin scooped up her daughter, setting the girl on her hip.

Her husband leaned in to kiss her. Caryn grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled. "Dada!"

Zechs just sighed and kissed his daughter's cheek.

Noin just grinned. "We definitely know who's pulling the strings in this relationship."

Caryn pointed to her mother and imperiously ordered. "Kiss."


	15. His White Queen

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set during Zechs and Noin's time at Lake Victoria. Theme 16: Drug.

* * *

**His White Queen**

Zechs frowned at the board, concentrating on his opponent's move. He leaned back against his bed. There were only a few moves open at this point. Well, only a few good moves. On the other side of the chess board, Noin sprawled across the floor, his pillow tucked under her arms. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth as she moved her bishop to capture his castle. That left his queen vulnerable.

Her mind was one of the things he most admired. Noin was brilliant. There was no denying that. Even here among the elite officers in training, there were few who could keep a pace of her academically, and other than himself, they were all older students. Even in her weakest subjects, she surpassed most of their class. But there was more than just her grasp of the academics. Noin worked with people with an ease he envied. When they had group projects, she was invariably chosen as leader because she knew how to get the team to work together.

He moved his queen to a more secure position. There was more to her than his mind. Zechs would admit to he had been paying much more attention to his best friend's form lately. Over the past few months Noin had started to fill out, and added to her already fair face, other students were beginning to notice as well. It was her eyes that caught the most attention. Their soft violet was unusual enough, but when combined with her fair skin and raven locks, they were arresting.

Zechs would admit some jealously about the recent attention. She was his after all, both by the contract signed by their parents and by her own choice. At least, he knew he had been her first kiss. Part of him couldn't blame the others for taking an interest in her. Beautiful and intelligent, Noin also had heart. She was the one their classmates turned to when they were homesick or had some other matter of the heart that they needed advice on.

She really was something special. Despite everything she had been through, Noin was so without anger and hate. Oh, he knew that things made her angry, but she didn't hold onto it. He wasn't sure what drove her, her affection for him or her love of space, but whatever it was, it seemed much purer than his own quest for vengeance. And in some ways, it gave him hope. If Noin could go through all that he had without becoming consumed with hatred and anger, maybe one day when things had changed he would be able to let go of his as well.

Noin was everything to him in ways that Relena was not. Relena was his duty and his responsibility. As much as he loved her, he also knew that he would never really be a part of her life. Not after what he would have to do to give her a real future. Relena would never be truly safe in an Alliance controlled world. But Noin was his future as much as she was his past. Zechs knew that she would be better off without him, but he honestly didn't think she would allow herself to be left behind. Her loyalty wasn't really to the Sanc Kingdom or the ideals of total pacifism but to him. He had tried to keep some distance between them when he had found her their first year at Victoria.

It hadn't worked. In part it was because she wouldn't let him keep himself aloof from her. She had down everything in her power to make herself a part of his life. And he had let her. The truth of the matter was he didn't want to let her slip away. He had never met anyone who knew him so well. She was addictive. He enjoyed the fact that they worked together seamlessly. He enjoyed her company above all others. Zechs couldn't imagine doing without her.

"Checkmate," her voice came.

He looked up to see a soft smile.

"Where was your mind? That was far too easy."

He plucked her queen from the board, rolling the white wood in his fingers. "Just thinking."


	16. Cendrillon

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is AU and sometime after Endless Waltz. Theme 11: Skin Deep.

* * *

**Cendrillon**

Once upon a time there was a very exhausted preventer. Noin had returned to Earth with Zechs six months ago to be thrown into an investigation that involved undercover work, surveillance, and more paperwork than you could shake a stick at. And due to the fact that she had been on the undercover side of the operation while Zechs had been on the surveillance side, Noin had seen very little of her lover. While she and Zechs had bought a little villa on the coast by the capitol of the Sanc Kingdom, she had barely been there more than three times during the mission.

But all that was over. They had finally arrested most of the terrorist group, and she was free to finally get some rest. Zechs, unfortunately, was currently tied up with a project of his sister's, but he should be home in a few days. And then Relena and the girls had decided that what Noin really needed was a night of fun. Of course, they didn't realize that her idea of a night of fun involved chess, Zechs, and perhaps a bottle of wine rather than a fancy dress party.

And of course this had coincided with the annual autumn ball for the court of the Sanc Kingdom. Despite the fact that the kingdom wasn't exactly a kingdom anymore, the court had decided to reinstate itself anyway. This meant that there were a number of social functions added to Relena's calendar and Zechs' as well when he could be roped into them. Cathy had been the one to come up with the idea of a masquerade though. Relena had complained that all the events were practically the same and the ball committee had latched onto the idea when it was mentioned in passing.

Noin had disliked the idea of a masquerade from the beginning. It made co-coordinating security much more difficult. She also hadn't planned on attending. Unfortunately for her, Relena was having none of that. Noin found herself bundle off to the palace and being subjected to the full spa treatment with Cathy, Hilde, and Relena. It wasn't that she minded the spa, she could use some pampering, but being in the palace meant dealing with the nobles.

Despite that fact that Noin was technically a noble in her own right, she had been born the Contessa of Livorno, the noblewomen of the Sanc Kingdom were quite clear in their opinions of her: she was not fit company for them and she was not fit company for their prince. Not that Zechs had ever cared about that. For the most part, Noin didn't either, but it did make her feel like Cinderella once in awhile. After all, it wasn't as if they had done much return the country to its former status. It probably didn't help that Relena also preferred her company over many of the other noblewomen.

Still, Noin did her best to enjoy the pampering and ignore the other women also using the facilities. By the time the staff was done with her, Noin felt nearly boneless with relaxation. At least, until Relena showed her the costume that she and the other girls had picked out for her. It was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but it was not something she would have picked out. For one thing, where would she put her weaponry? The ball would be a perfect time for an attack on Relena or one of the other dignitaries.

Silver brocade silk made up the off the shoulder Renaissance style gown. It was accented with a thick belt of lavender silk. Relena had also provided a selection of jewelry and a delicate mask. A pair of sandals fashioned from leather soles and strings of silver adorned with crystals that would run from her toe up and circle her ankles completed the outfit along with a silver circlet. There were even under things of lavender silk to go with it all.

"What exactly am I supposed to be?"

"A star," came Relena's prompt reply. "It seemed appropriate given your love of space."

Noin sighed but admitted to herself that it could be worse. Given Relena's romantic leanings, she could have ended up a Southern Belle or a Victorian Lady. It wasn't that she disliked social events, but honestly, she was a soldier by training, not a diplomat, and these things seemed to be more of a meeting with entertainment than an actual party.

But there was something about dressing up for these events that was almost magical. She went from simply looking like Lucrezia Noin, preventer and ex-soldier, to looking like Contessa Lucrezia Alessa Fiammetta Illeana Noin of Livorno, the young noblewoman she might have been if the Alliance hadn't massacred her family. Still, the change wasn't more than skin deep. She was still just Noin, and honestly, she would rather be Noin than the Contessa.

Relena seemed pleased with the result. The younger Peacecraft had costumed herself as a Greek goddess before coming to watch Noin's own preparations. Dressed in everything but the mask, she twirled around for the princess' approval. Relena beamed.

"You look wonderful. I would have made you a princess, but too many people would take offense at that." Relena sighed, "It's not like my brother's going to suddenly have a change of heart and marry someone the court deems appropriate then pop out a half dozen Peacecraft heirs."

Noin grinned. "My limit is three. Don't worry about it though. Zechs and I have always had a few trump cards for overriding any objections to our relationship."

"I don't suppose you'll me in on the secret?"

Noin winked. "That would be telling."

The princess sighed. "I'd better get downstairs to open the ball. I expect to see you within twenty minutes."

She nodded before turning back to mirror. Attending these balls was almost like going into battle. It required the proper preparation before hand. Tonight at least would be a great deal easier given the masks. It's hard to snub someone when you don't know exactly who you're snubbing. With a deep breath, she tied the mask in place. She was ready.

Noin made her way to the main entry hall to descend the grand staircase into the ballroom. No one would be announced tonight. They would simply make an entrance, leaving those watching to guess their identities. Noin descended down into the black draped ballroom. The room itself had been transformed into a world of shadows, everything in shades of black and grey.

She had barely stepped off the staircase when a vampire snagged her elbow. "My I have this dance, milady?"

"Of course, good sir."

With that she was swept onto the dance floor. Noin found herself being passed from the vampire to a pirate to a military general before she escaped the dance floor to the refreshment tables. She helped herself to a glass of punch, after making sure it wasn't spiked, and a few of the delicate tea cakes. Avoiding small talk was her main goal at this point, but she needed a breather before returning the dance floor. Noin found herself a quiet corner and contented herself with nibbling on her snack and people watching.

The court had really gone all out for the masquerade. She recognized a few people by sight and another handful due to their costumes, the grim reaper could only be Duo, but most of the guests were a mystery to her. It made the preventer in her uncomfortable, but Relena should be safe enough with Heero shadowing her. Noin had easily recognized the Roman general that could be seen at Relena's side at all times. Relena was in her element here effortlessly moving from one cluster of guests to another, most likely brokering deals and selling her latest project.

"My lady, could I trouble you for a dance?"

Noin inwardly sighed but gave the knight her hand. She was swept out onto the dance floor. Relena seemed to have done too good a job with her costume given the reaction of the men around. Normally, she was lucky if she was asked to dance by one or two strangers at these things. Tonight she couldn't seem to get rid of them. Once again Noin found herself being passed from partner to partner, and now they were starting to get a little friendlier than she liked.

Not that it was anything a well placed kick to the shins or stomp on the instep couldn't take care of, but it was getting irritating. It was simply another reason to avoid these events in her book.

"Excuse me." A Faerie lord cut in on her and her current partner. "I believe the Contessa owes me a dance."

A pair of sparkling blue eyes met her own. Noin easily stepped into his arms.

"Not that I'm complaining, my prince, but I wasn't expecting you to be home yet."

He spun her towards the doors that led to the veranda on the side of the ballroom. "I managed to get away earlier than planned. I was hoping to spend the evening curled up with my partner in front of a nice fire with a bottle of wine."

"Blame your sister. She decided I needed some fun in my life."

They had reached the doors.

"Shall we?"

They slipped out into the night. Noin turned in Zechs' arms, resting against his chest, and he kissed her forehead.

"Do you think anyone will notice if we leave?"

Zechs leaned down to kiss her properly. "I doubt it. Shall we head home?"

"Let's. I think hear our bed calling."

Hand in hand, the couple stole away as the clock began to strike twelve.


	17. Even Angels Fall

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set during Endless Waltz. Theme 23: Horsemen of the Apocalypse .

* * *

**Even Angels Fall**

Zechs let out a sigh, loosening the straps that held him in place. Once again they had stopped things in time. The horsemen of the apocalypse had been routed and sent packing, hopefully not to return anytime soon. The battle was over, and maybe this time people would be willing to fight a little harder to keep the peace.

Noin landed her Taurus beside Tallgeese, and Zechs frowned, noticing for the first time how serious the damage to her suit was. It was impressive that she had managed to keep up with the rest of them give the condition of the Taurus. Of course, Noin had been the second best pilot in their year for reason. She would have been the best pilot in her year if it weren't for him.

He flicked on the com channel. "Noin?"

"I'm fine." Her voice was tired. "I'll meet you on the ground."

Zechs was waiting when she finally winched down to the tarmac. Noin let go of the cable only to practically collapse. Zechs rushed forward to catch her.

"Noin?"

"I'm fine." Her teeth were gritted. "Just tired."

He knew her better than that. Zechs swung her up into his arms. "You are seeing a doctor."

"Zechs, I'm perfectly fine. It's just been a long week." She leaned her into his shoulder. "Une's going to need my help with the mop up."

"Une doesn't need her subordinates collapsing on her either." He kissed her forehead. "Besides, you never let me get away with abusing myself, and I'm not about to let you pick up my bad habits."

She sighed but let him carry her over to the temporary medical center that had set up on the tarmac. One of the doctors diagnosed a second degree sprained ankle and gave her prescription for painkillers and a pair of crutches as well as instructions to keep off the ankle for the next twenty-four hours and to take it easy at work. Zechs sighed at that; he doubted that Noin was likely to do so given the amount of work this whole mess would cause her.

He insisted on carrying her again as they made their way back to Preventer HQ. Zechs left Noin to take over operations there while he went and found his sister and Lady Une. He was ready for the evening to be over. He could see his future at this point: a nice comfortable bed and his wife to keep him warm. But first he had to find someone else to be in charge of things.


	18. Better Days

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set one year after Endless Waltz. Theme 7: A Perfect Moment.

* * *

**Better Days**

His wife was the most beautiful thing in the solar system. Perhaps it was not the most objective of viewpoints, Noin was currently begrimed with Martian soil and machine oil from her work with the generators, but it was his none the less. Zechs leaned over and kissed her nose.

"Done for the day, sweetheart?"

She leaned into him. "Yes, thank god. But the generators should hold barring any major disasters."

He wrapped his arms around her, watching the sky. Even after a year, the sunsets on Mars still took his breath away.

"Noin."

"Mmm?"

"You have tomorrow off."

She sighed. "I know."

He nuzzled her ear. "And thanks to Vlad trading shifts with me, I have tomorrow off."

"Oh."

"I thought we could sleep in. Maybe have a picnic lunch."

Noin tilted her head back to look at him. "That sounds lovely."

With his wife snuggled in his arms under a starry sky, Zechs doubted he ever been so content. Even if both of them needed a shower.


	19. Some Hearts

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set a year before the series starts. Theme 25: Vocal.

* * *

**Some Hearts**

Zechs stood, his hand entwined with Noin's, in front of the priest of Saint Elmo's Chapel. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, and he didn't think she had ever looked so beautiful. Dressed in a simple, sleeveless white dress, Noin practically glowed.

"Do you take Lucrezia Alessa Fiammetta Illeana Noin as your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

They had been planning this trip for nearly a month, ever since Noin's eighteenth birthday. They had been discussing it since his. The contract their parents had signed specified that they be married by their twenty-first birthdays. However, given Treize's plans for the next few years, neither he nor Noin had wanted to wait that long, and now that they both were eighteen, they needed no parental or guardian consent.

"I do."

Noin beamed at him.

So here the two of them were in a chapel in Livorno, Noin's mother's home town. The priest here at St. Elmo's had been Donnatella Noin's family priest for years and could be trusted implicitly. He would hold onto all the records from their marriage certificate and license to the legal name change forms making them officially Zechs and Noin Marquise to the newly created wills they both had written. Every single legal document they could think of was now in his hands.

"Do you take Milliardo Emrys Stephan Zechs Peacecraft as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

It had been Noin who brought the subject of the marriage up. Given the circumstances they found themselves in, no one would fault them for not honoring the contract. In fact, he had never brought the subject up himself because while he was quite willing to honor the agreement, he wasn't willing to force her to do so. However, Noin had made it very clear she wanted to marry him for her own reasons, and he wasn't about to deny her.

"I do." Her eyes were shining.

So they had planned this carefully, arranging for two weeks of leave and taking off for a vacation in Italy. It seemed appropriate to be married in Noin's home country, and their connections there would make things easier.

"I take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness." He slid the cool metal onto her slender finger. It would remain there for the rest of their vacation before being relegated to her dog tags until this whole mess with the Alliance was over.

This was probably their last chance to have time alone together before the overthrow of the Alliance began. Treize was moving into position, and that would mean separation. Noin most likely would be tapped teach at Lake Victoria, training the next generation for Treize's plans, while he would have to start taking an active lead on the front lines. Zechs wasn't looking forward to their separation, but they both knew it was inevitable.

"I take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness." Noin repeated his gesture before sliding her hands back into his.

He worried about the future. Noin kept him human. The idea of facing months or even years without her calming presence was unappealing. But he had no choice really. For the two of them to have a future that wasn't lived in the fear that someone would discover their past, they had to destroy the Alliance, and Treize's plan was their best bet.

"By the power vested in me by the Holy Catholic Church, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Zechs leaned down and kissed his wife for the first time. There in the sunlight, with her hands entwined with his and her lips warm and soft under his own, Zechs knew that no matter what happened in the future, he would always have her love.


	20. A Princess' Bedtime Tale

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set eight years after Endless Waltz. Theme 8: Fabrication.

* * *

**A Princess' Bedtime Tale**

"Daddy, tell me a story."

Zechs sat down at the foot of Caryn's bed. "Which story do you want, princess? Cinderella? Beauty and the Beast?"

The raven haired five year old pouted. "I want a new story."

"What kind of story?"

"A fairytale, Daddy. One with a prince and happy ending."

"All right. Let's see what I can do." He bit his lip. "Once upon a time, there was a young prince who loved a star. She wasn't just any star though. She was the North Star. Every day she would come down from the heavens to play with the prince before returning at twilight each night."

Caryn pulled her teddy bear closer. "Did the star have name, Daddy? What about the prince?"

"Prince Tristan and the star was called Yvainne." He brushed the bangs out of her eyes. "May I continue? One day, Yvainne was stolen from the prince. Tristan waited all day for her, but she did not show up at the meadow where they played. That night she did not appear in the sky."

His daughter's eyes were wide. "What happened, Daddy?"

"Prince Tristan searched for his star. He found her nowhere. As time passed, he lost hope, and his heart began to harden. His duties consumed him, and soon all he cared about was doing them."

Caryn yawned. "Did he ever find his star again?"

"I'm getting there, princess." He tucked her teddy bear under the covers. "Tristan was sent on a mission to a foreign country, but on his way he was attacked. He tried to fight his enemies off, but there were too many of them. However, a figure dressed in grey came to his aid. Once they had fought off his enemies…and you're sound asleep. I didn't think I was that boring."

Zechs kissed his daughter's forehead, tucking the blankets more securely around her. "Sweet dreams, princess."

He turned off the lamp and headed for the door. A figure moved from the shadows in the door frame.

"So, what did happen to the prince and his star?"

His arms slid around his wife, and he leaned down to kiss her.

"His star found him and beat some sense into him."

Noin laughed, gently shutting the door to their daughter's bedroom. "That sounds like a happy ending."

Zechs took her by the hand, heading for their bedroom. "It was."


	21. Hat Full of Stars

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set directly after Endless Waltz. Theme 22: Memories in a Box.

* * *

**Hat Full of Stars**

Relena sighed. Her spartan apartment was now cluttered with a handful of boxes. The fact of the matter was that while she could afford a large place, she liked the cozy little studio. Besides, it was a little place all her own where she could just be Relena without having worry about being the vice foreign minister or the Peacecraft heir. Well, except right now since she currently had a recovering Gundam pilot, a kitten, and half a dozen boxes that belonged to her brother's girlfriend.

She had been pleased when her brother had agreed to help out with the Mars Terraforming project she had been working about, and Relena hadn't been surprised when Noin had taken off with him. However, she hadn't expected Noin to send her the contents of her own apartment when she left. So now she had boxes to go along with Heero and her newly acquired kitten.

Setting her mail down on the table, Relena frowned at the carved wooden box already resting there. She didn't remember having this.

"Relena, do you want hot chocolate or coffee?" Heero's head popped out of the kitchen area. Despite the fact that he was supposed to be here recuperating, Heero had spent much of his time fussing over her. She had been more than a little startled to find the perfect soldier's domestic side, but she wouldn't complain either.

"Hot chocolate please. Do you know where this box came from?"

"Which one?"

"The wooden one with the carvings."

"It came with the rest of the boxes from Noin. There's a letter too." He pressed a mug into her hand then leaned over her shoulder, plucking an envelope from the mess of paperwork on the table.

She quickly tore through the envelope. It was a simple sheet of notepaper with a short message:

_Relena_

_Sorry to dump all this junk on you, Relena. I didn't have time to make arrange storage before our shuttled needed to live. Take care of the documents in the box for me. I'll be needing them later. Thanks again._

_Noin_

Relena frowned and reached for the box. She lifted the heavy lid to find an assortment of papers and photographs, all neatly organized. Pulling out the first packet of papers, Relena untied the faded lavender ribbon that held it together. A picture slipped out, and Heero bent to pick it up. Relena began sorting through the papers: her brother's birth certificate, Noin's birth certificate, a thick sheaf of papers, and more photographs. The one that jumped out at her though was a formal portrait. Her brother in full court grab stood behind a chair where Relena, in an adorable christening gown, was set. But what was really surprising about the photo was the little girl who held her. The dark haired girl was clearly Noin, but what on earth was she doing in a formal court portrait?

She went back to that thick sheaf of papers. As far as she could tell, it was a legal contract of some kind between the Contessa of Livorno and the Prince of the Sanc Kingdom. It was when Heero handed her the picture he had recovered that it dawn on her. Her brother and Noin couldn't have been more than four years old in the picture. It was another court portrait though and clearly modeled after the ones of her mother and father. She was holding a marriage contract.

With Heero's help, Relena spent the next half hour investigating the contents of the box. It seemed to amount to all of the legal paperwork for her brother and Noin as well as photographs. What shocked her the most was the packet tied with a white lace ribbon. In it she found pressed lilies of the valley, a marriage license and certificate, legal name change paperwork for Zechs and Noin Marquise, and wedding photos. Her brother and Noin couldn't have been older than eighteen in them. Her brother wore his formal red uniform from Oz while Noin was dressed in a simple sleeveless white gown. Her arms were around his neck, and Relena could see the glint of a ring on her finger, almost hidden by the nosegay of flowers she carried. Zechs was leaning down to kiss her. Noin was her sister by marriage.

"Hn. That explains a lot."

She frowned at Heero. "What do you mean?"

"All the intelligence we ever had on Noin said that she had met Zechs at Lake Victoria. We could never figure out why she was so committed both to him and the Sanc Kingdom. Even if she was in love with the man, it didn't explain the level of trust he put in her." Heero smiled; Relena had noticed he was doing that more lately. "But given their history together, it makes perfect sense. He wasn't trusting some random subordinate, albeit an incredibly loyal one. He was trusting his wife."

Relena smiled and considered the wedding photo again. Maybe she could get some of these framed for her sister-in-law. It would be a rather late wedding present, but she couldn't be blamed for that.


	22. Fidelity

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set during Zechs and Noin's time at Lake Victoria. Theme 17: Little White Lie

* * *

**Fidelity**

Noin was a number of things people didn't expect: a linguistic genius, a talented engineer, and an amazing fencer to name just a few. Most of the time the only one who wasn't surprised by her actions and abilities was Zechs Marquise. Except for this moment right now where he had a lap full of her slender body, her arms twined around his neck, and her mouth warm and soft against his own.

She drew away slightly, turning her head so her hair blocked his vision.

"Oh, Instructor Stott, I didn't see you there."

He still couldn't see, but Zechs was willing to bet that was a good thing. If he couldn't see Instructor Stott, then the instructor couldn't see him. And given that his mask was currently lying on the floor across the room, that was a very good thing. No one other than Noin and Treize knew that he had survived the battle that had destroyed the Sanc Kingdom, and he meant to keep it that way.

"Cadet Noin, what do you think you are doing?"

"Cadet Marquise is helping me study anatomy."

They were supposed to be studying advanced tactics, and since they were in the middle of a heat wave, he had ditched the mask after half an hour. After all, they supposedly had the library study room to themselves for the next three hours.

"I'm, um, sorry, cadet. I thought the room was empty." The man was clearly flustered. "I'll go see if there's another study room available."

The door snicked shut, and Noin let out a sigh. She shifted slightly, and suddenly his field of vision was filled with something other than raven hair.

"That was an interesting diversion from my identity."

Noin flushed a dark rose and tried to move out of his lap. "I couldn't risk him figuring it out, and it was the only thing that came to mind. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

Zechs cut her off with a kiss, and his arms tightened around her. "I didn't say I was complaining."


	23. Save the Last Dance

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is AU. Theme 14: "Once more, with feeling!"

* * *

**Save the Last Dance**

"All right, people. Soloists front and center."

Zechs Marquise sighed and rose to his feet. Treize was his best friend, but he was beginning to regret agreeing to be in the first production he was the main choreographer for. Especially since Treize's niece, Dorothy Catalonia, was the primary female soloist in the production. Dorothy was a wonderful dancer, but her behavior off stage left much to be desired.

"Now, we're working on the central piece in the dream sequence. This piece is major foreshadowing of the main characters feelings for each other, and the soloist need to reflect that. The heroine, Ildri, clearly loves Meilyr, and shows it while Meilyr may lover he back but he is hesitant at first to express this." Treize stood in the middle of the dance studio. "Now we went over the first half last time, and I think you two have the chase and the battle of hesitation down. What I want to work on now is the part where Meilyr finally gives in to his feelings."

He sighed. Zechs had gone over this chorography on his own earlier as well as practicing it with a partner, and while it wasn't too incredibly difficult technically, he wasn't sure he could pull the piece off authentically. At least, not with Dorothy as a partner. He simply doubted his ability to put actual passion into the piece when his partner inspired anything but. Oh, Dorothy had been trying to drag him into her bed for the past two years; he just wasn't interested.

With another sigh, Zechs took position in the center of the studio and waited for Dorothy to join him. The music started, and they began. The dance itself was a combination of tango, paso doble, salsa, and rumba. Treize had done his best to bring out the flirtation and passion between the couple. They made it about halfway through the piece before Treize called things to a halt.

"What with you two today? This isn't a battle. It's a seduction. A romantic expression of feeling. From the top again."

The music started again, and once again he took Dorothy into his arms. This time it wasn't even five minutes into the routine when Dorothy pushed away from him.

"Cousin, I can't do this. He has absolutely no passion in him." Dorothy stalked away, throwing her hands up in the air. "How the hell am I supposed to seduce a stone? No one could pull this piece off with him."

Now that was just insulting. Zechs raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

He scanned the studio for his best friend. Noin was a good dancer, but she wasn't a professional one. Not that it had ever mattered to him. She had often served as his partner for practicing routines, and he knew she knew this one my heart; they'd practiced it often enough in the last month. He found her tucked in the window seat, absently humming the orchestration for his current routine.

Zechs crooked a finger at her. "Noin, come're."

He led her to the center of the studio.

"You think you can pull it off with her?" Dorothy scoffed. "She's not even a real dancer."

He ignored that. "Music from the top please."

Noin automatically took position for the beginning of the sequence. As the music started, Zechs' focus narrowed the woman beside him. Their feet took up the tempo as they circled each other. Noin's hand slid perfectly into his, and he spun her around in front of him. She tilted her head back to smile at him.

Zechs lost track of everything except the music and Noin. When the music stopped, he found himself staring down into her violet eyes, lips centimeters from his. Applause thundered around them. Zechs quickly kissed her before they took their bows.

Treize just beamed. "Wonderful. That was just perfect. That had the exact feeling I wanted expressed. Are you available for the dream ballet?"

Zechs slipped an arm around Noin's waist with a smile. "There is a reason I always practice with her."

Noin wrinkled her nose at him. "And here I thought it was because no one else puts up with you stepping on their toes?"

Both men laughed, and Zechs pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "You've never complained before. Will you dance with me?"

Noin smiled. "Always."


	24. The Wedding of the Century

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is set two years after Endless Waltz. Theme 21: Circus

* * *

**The Wedding of the Century**

"We really should be out there." There was little conviction in her voice.

Zechs just drew his wife closer. There was no way he was about to brave the battlefield outside their hiding place anytime soon. Yes, he was the brother of the bride, but he wasn't interested in the least bit about venturing out into the chaos of the rehearsal dinner.

Noin sighed and shifted so she was now sitting in his lap. "I'm supposed to be the matron of honor."

"And when did that include braving that mob out there? Relena said she wanted a simple wedding. I'm not sure how that translates to five hundred guests, full media coverage, and political candidates." He rest his chin on her shoulder. "If Relena has any sense, she's doing the same thing we are."

"It's not everyday that the Vice Foreign Minister and former Queen of the World gets married you know."

"She was my baby sister first," he grumbled. "If one more person asks me who I'm supporting in the upcoming election, I swear I'm going back to the whole destroy the world plan. And don't get me started on the number of women who have tried to seduce me in the past three days. I'm a happily married man."

Noin nuzzled his cheek. "Send them to me, and I'll set them straight. It's just two more days anyway."

Zechs captured her lips for a kiss. "I'm still not going out into that circus. At least, not until the ceremony."

A blond head poked into their little nook. "Hey. Can we come hide in here with you? We have food."

Noin laughed. "Come on in, Relena."

The bride slipped in closely followed by the groom, both carrying copious amounts of snack food. As the four of them set up an impromptu picnic dinner, Zechs grinned at his sister.

"You know, you could always elope."


	25. His Lady Knight

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is AU. Theme 18: Nightmare.

* * *

**His Lady Knight**

Nightmares were nothing new to Zechs Marquise. He had been plagued with them for years ever since his family was massacred by Alliance forces. Given all the bloody battles and near misses he'd witnessed, it wasn't all that surprising. None of them were as bad as this. He was cornered by the punch bowl by five women who didn't seem to get the hint that he wasn't interested. And as it was his sister's New Year's party, he couldn't exactly be rude to get rid of them. Well, he could, but his sister would complain about it later.

"Milliardo," that was the blond who had draped herself over his right side, "why haven't we seen you at Dorothy's parties? You only ever come to your sister's."

The redhead on his other side pouted at him. "We miss you when you're not around."

They were the reason that he avoided these events, but he wasn't about to tell them that. Not that they would listen anyway.

"My work with the Preventers doesn't allow for much time to socialize."

"Have you ever thought about changing your line of work?" simpered the blond blocking his escape onto the veranda. "I don't know why you bother with the Preventers. You'd been such a good politician."

He'd be a lousy politician, thank you very much, and he had absolutely no interest in playing the diplomacy game. Zechs would leave that for his sister.

"The countdown has started." Another blond beamed at him. "Not long until the first kiss of the New Year."

"Ten…nine…"

"There you are. Did you forget to bring your cell phone?" Noin pushed her way through the crowd towards him. She was still in her Preventer uniform. "We do have an active assignment."

"…eight…seven…six…"

Disentangling him from the leeches, she tugged him towards the door. "We just got a solid lead, but we don't have much time."

"…five…four…three…"

Once again his lady knight was rescuing him from danger. He slipped an arm around her waist, stilling their progress towards the exit. "Just a moment, Noin."

"…two…one…Happy New Year!"

He swooped down to kiss her. Noin's arms came up around his neck and her lips opened under his. It was a good few minutes later when they broke apart for much needed air. Zechs smiled down at her. "Now, you said we had a lead?"


	26. Suddenly I See

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is AU. Theme 15: All the Aces.

* * *

**Suddenly I See**

Britain still felt like a strange and foreign country. Zechs had been here nearly six months now, but he still felt out of place. But he had to adjust. There was no going back now. His homeland, the Sanc Kingdom, had been a tiny democracy and not that important, but it had fallen to the Nazis five months ago. There would be no going back until this war ended, if then.

Truthfully, Zechs wasn't sure he ever wanted to go back. He had managed to smuggle himself and his little sister, Relena, out of the country, but his parents had remained behind. They had been executed shortly after the invasion. While Sanc was a democracy, his family was the last of the traditional royal line. He and his sister had been welcomed here in Britain, and both had quickly found employment. Zechs in the Royal Air Force, and Relena with the VAD. She was currently working at a hospital in Scotland, a fairly safe posting.

He sighed. Woolgathering would not prepare him for his next mission. The squadron was heading out this evening, and he needed his head in the game. The Germans wouldn't ease up just because he was feeling nostalgic. Zechs headed for the hanger, intending to mentally run through the night's mission. He had almost made it across the airfield when a dark blur crashed into him.

"I'm so sorry, sir." A soft alto voice stammered. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

It was a MTC girl, probably the commander's new driver. With soft raven hair cropped short and large violet eyes, she didn't look much like most of the British girls who worked at and around the airfield. She straightened uniform unconsciously.

"It's all right," he assured her. "Where were you headed?"

"The commander's office. I supposed to report for duty in twenty minutes."

"In that case, you're heading the wrong way." He smiled. "It's that building over by the radio towers."

"Thank you so much, Captain." She glanced at his uniform before holding out a hand. "I'm Noin."

He didn't see her again until he visited the local pub three days later. Noin was tucked in a corner by the bar with a number of the other pilots. She didn't look especially happy, but no one seemed to be harassing her. Given that he ignored them. Of all the aces, he was the least sociable of the crop. It wasn't until his name came up that he paid attention to what they were telling her.

"That's Captain Marquise, but you don't want to hang around him, sweetheart. He's not really one of us. He's from some foreign country that's allied with the Nazis."

He'd heard it before. Zechs ignored it for the most part. But Noin clearly wasn't going to.

"You don't have to be born here to want to protect England. And you don't have to be British to stand against the Nazis either." She set her drink down on the bar and walked away, leaving a number of stunned pilots.

Zechs found her later that evening along side the road back to the airfield. She was perched on a hillside, looking up at the sky.

"You know it really isn't safe to be out here on your own."

She smiled at him and rose to her feet. "I can take care of myself, but you're welcome to walk me back to the airfield if it makes you feel better."

"It would."

They walked in silence for most of the way. It was Noin who finally spoke.

"My father is German, and my mother is Italian. I was born in Livorno, but we lived in Sanc until I was nine. Father's family was leaving Munich for England, and he wanted to join them. I've been living in Britain ever since." Her smile was barely visible in the moonlight. "So I know that you may be Captain Zechs Marquise of the RAF, but you are also his Royal Highness Milliardo Peacecraft of the Sanc Kingdom."

He stopped in his tracks.

Noin just smiled at him. "We were in the same class in primary school for two years."

He remembered her now. She had been the only one of the girls who had chosen fencing over the ballet class. Her hair had been longer then.

"I heard about the King and Queen's death on the BBC. I though you and your sister had been executed as well. I'm glad I was wrong."

They had reached her quarters. Noin leaned in and kissed his cheek. "If you ever need anything, including a shoulder or an ear, they're yours. Good night, your Highness."

She slipped inside, and Zechs watched her go, feeling amazed. That was one amazing young woman. He headed off to bed with a smile.

As the months went by, Noin became an indispensable member of the unit. The young woman was remarkably talented. She acted as scribe for any squadron meetings, a back up mechanic, and an ear and a shoulder for whomever needed it. And somehow during that time, Noin became attributed to him. He wasn't sure who started it, but within six months of her arrival, half the squadron was referring to her as 'Marquise's driver' despite the fact that she was attached to their commander, not him. It was his company she was most often found in, and he was the one she that she trusted with her secrets.

And it wasn't a surprise to anyone at the airfield when on May ninth, nineteen forty-five, one day after V-E Day, Captain Marquise proposed. In fact, it won several of the airmen quite a bit of money. Zechs couldn't have cared less. He had lost almost everything in this war: his parents, his homeland, his identity. But it had also brought Noin back to him. And she was enough for him to believe in a future. For both of them.


	27. Children Go Where I Send You

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is AU. Theme 4: Unforgivable.

* * *

**Children Go Where I Send You**

"Do you have plans for lunch? Relena wanted to get together, and she's in town for a few days."

Noin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "We've got that meeting with Une today, but tomorrow's good for me."

"Good." Zechs tucked the completed paperwork into a file. "Do you know what Une wants to see us about?"

"Not a clue." She leaned across his desk to kiss him on the nose. "I'm off for a coffee run. Do you want anything?"

"Real coffee or the stuff from the break room?"

"Real coffee."

"A venti Caramel Macchiato."

She just shook her head. "You and your fancy coffee."

"This from the woman who has practically lived on peppermint mochas at times?"

She stuck her tongue out at him and grabbed her purse. "I'll be back in half an hour."

It wasn't a long walk down to their regular coffee shop. There was an insanely long line, but that was typically of the lunch rush. The place served at least three major corporate offices, a police station, a score of small businesses, and Preventer HQ. The staff never had to worry about a lack of customers.

"Your usual, Miss Noin?"

"And a venti Caramel Macchiato too, please."

"Would you like anything else today?"

Noin bit her lip. "Two of the vanilla cupcakes."

"Cash or credit?"

She dug the appropriate amount out of her purse. With the cupcakes tucked safely under her arm, Noin collected the drinks and headed back to the office and the waiting paperwork. Zechs was already working one the pile of forms when she slipped back into their office. Noin deposited his drink and one of the cupcakes on the desk.

"Aren't you glad you don't have the paparazzi problem Relena does? I'm sure they'd love to know that the former prince of the Sanc Kingdom prefers fancy cappuccinos over black coffee."

"Weren't you the one complaining last time when they called you, what was it, 'a brainless sycophant following after Peacecraft like a puppy'?"

"I complained. You wanted to see if we could commit arson at their office and get away with it."

"_Touché._" He sipped his drink. "You made it back just in time. Une moved the meeting up. We need to be there in ten minutes."

Noin sighed. "Great. Has she mentioned what this about yet?"

"No. I'm getting a bad feeling about this."

"It can't be worse than the time she had us go undercover as a prostitute and a tranny."

"We'll see."

Une was rather more serious than the pair expected when they arrived at her office.

"I hate to throw you two into an operation with as little prep time as this, but it can't be helped. It's unforgivable that this has gone on as long as it has, and it looks like Urahara and Shihoin finally have enough to bring them down if we move quickly." Une sighed. "You two are about the only ones who I can trust in this situation. The only other pair to send would be Sally and Wufei, and I'm afraid with their tempers this mission could fall apart."

Noin traded a look with Zechs. Typically, Une was only this verbose about really bad missions.

"Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin have been investigating an illegal adoption ring for the past year or so. We've already seen some of their work. It's where about half of the kids from that brothel we took apart last month came from. According to the records, they were all legally adopted from three orphanages on L-2." Une pushed a thick folder across her desk. "Everything is in there, including your cover. I'd like to have you to on a shuttle tonight."

"Is there anything we need to know that's not in the file?" Noin had been on enough Preventer operations to know there was always something that wasn't in the file.

"At least sixty children's lives are at risk here, and Urahara and Shihoin are highly invested in this one. If things go south, I don't think they'll be satisfied in pulling out and I waiting for another opportunity."

Noin could understand that. Most of the Preventers had a soft spot for children. And given the circumstances, she couldn't really blame them for not wanting to wait for the next chance at these people.

"We'll just have to make sure things go smoothly."

Une nodded at Zechs. "Just don't blow anything up. I don't think the budget can handle any more explosions this year."

Noin bit her lip, and the corners of Zechs' mouth were twitching. It wasn't their fault Duo had seen fit to destroy no less than three buildings in the course of his last mission. And Heero's need to deal with terrorists by chucking their own bombs back at them could hardly be considered surprising. Of course, it had been surprising that Sally had been the one, and not her partner, to undertake the complete demolition of an enemy safe house, but Une had known what she was getting into when she hired them all.

"There's a shuttle leaving at six o'clock. Will you two be ready by then or should I book a later flight for you?"

With the flight details taken care, the pair headed back to their office to gather any supplies they would need before heading home to pack. With a small inventory of weapons and ammunition packed, the partners headed back to the loft they shared. Noin packed their bags as Zechs read the file aloud to her. It was a familiar routine for them both. Dinner was a simple meal, made and ate together while discussing various elements of the case. In some ways, this was the reason why she had fought so hard: to have a normal life with the man she loved. Or at least as normal of a life as they could manage.

It was only once they were settled for the shuttle flight that Noin voiced the thought that had been stuck in her head since they were assigned this mission.

"Do you ever think about having children?" Her head rest against his shoulder.

Zechs fingered her hair. "Sometimes. Why?"

She sighed a little. "I was just thinking about the mission. We could have been one of those kids, you know, if we hadn't been pulled into OZ. And if it hadn't been for the Alliance, we could have been married with a family of our own by now."

He kissed the top of her head. "Do you want a family?"

"Someday." She smiled softly. "I'm not ready yet. We're only twenty-one. Maybe in a few more years. The case just made me think."

Zechs slid his fingers between hers. "Well, then. First we save these kids, and then we can worry about having some of our own."

She nodded and snuggled a little closer to her partner. He tucked the complimentary blanket a little more securely around them both, and Noin let her eyes fall shut. They still had at least three hours before they arrived. Noin was content to rest at Zechs' side, drifting off to dreams of a little dark haired girl with her father's eyes.


	28. Fragile Balance

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is AU and loosely based on the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelly Armstrong. Theme 27: Precarious.

* * *

**Fragile Balance**

Zechs held his hand out to Noin, helping her up the pile of rubble. Not much remained of the Peacecraft mansion. The gardens were intact if overgrown, but the house itself would take major renovations to be livable again. He sighed.

"Zechs?" Noin's soft voice called him back from his memories.

He smiled at the young witch. "I'm fine, love. Just woolgathering. There's so much work to do."

She squeezed his hand. "You knew there would be. Relena and the others will be arriving tomorrow."

"I know. We should head back to the hotel."

The pair began picking their way back through the rubble to the rental car parked at the edge of the property. Fifteen years ago, this had been his home, and he had been the heir to one of the most unique Cabals in the world. The Peacecraft Cabal had been one of the few that had never betrayed the witches they had partnered with. Instead, its territory had become a sanctuary for almost all members of the otherworld.

Until Easter fifteen years ago. A number of rival Cabals had gotten together and attacked them. And the Peacecraft family had not survived. At least, not publicly. Then Zechs had been Milliardo Peacecraft, and by sheer luck, he and his sister had been visiting Noin's family in Italy at the time. They had been the sole survivors. Relena, who had been two at the time, had been left with a coven that had strong ties with their mother. Zechs had been taken in by the Kushranada Cabal.

Zechs had spent the past fifteen years working towards this day. He had known from the start that he wanted to rebuild his parents' legacy. That was in part why he had kept in touch with Noin. He knew that if he was going to rebuild his home, he would need help. So he had studied hard, learning as much as he could. If he was going to rebuild the Peacecraft Cabal, he would have to present a strong enough front that people would think twice about repeating history.

So he had kept in touch with one Lucrezia Noin, a young witch who had been a childhood friend, and together they had begun working on a plan. It had taken years to set this up. It had helped that the coven that raised Relena had good contacts with both a werewolf pack and as well as a number of half demons. So now with their help he was going to rebuild a haven for all members of the otherworld. At least, that was the plan.

Noin once again pulled him from his thoughts, this time with an imperious hand reaching for the keys.

"Who said you got to drive?"

She kissed his nose. "I'm not letting you run us off the road with your daydreaming. Besides, I'm a better driver than your sister."

He laughed and let her steal the keys. Perhaps this wouldn't be as hard as he thought. At least with Noin around he was certain to have fun while trying.


	29. Possession

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is AU. Theme 24: Fatal Error.

* * *

**Possession**

She didn't know how it had come to this. Noin tried to breathe shallowly and keep the tears of pain from falling. Zechs had her tucked up against his chest, one hand pressing his jacket to the bullet wound to slow her bleeding. It wasn't a fatal wound, but it hurt like hell, and she was afraid that she was going to be out of the field for a while with this injury, and that was how she had gotten in this position in the first place. At least the position he had her in kept the body out of her field of vision. She couldn't deal with that right now.

Zechs kissed the top of her head. "Sally and the medical team are on their way. It won't be much longer."

"Sorry," she whispered.

His grip on her tightened. "It's not your fault, sweetheart. How were you supposed to know? Just stay with me, okay?"

Noin doubted she was in danger of passing out, but she didn't want to make Zechs more worried than he already was and let him fuss over her. He already felt guilty enough. He had been off on a mission with Duo and Quatre when it all had started. She had been stuck with desk work for two months while her sprained ankle healed. It had been perfectly innocent to start out with.

She had gone to meet Relena for lunch and arrived early, at the tail end of Relena's meeting. As the various diplomats filed out of Relena's office, one of them stopped and introduced himself as Christopher Lighton. Noin knew the name; he was one of the new rising stars in politics these days. She had made polite small talk with him until Relena was ready to go.

It hadn't seemed odd when he chatted with her whenever their paths crossed after that. Besides, Noin had other things to worry about. As she was the most senior Preventer not assigned to fieldwork, Une had given her the task of finally get a training program put together for their new recruits. They had been hiring people like the Gundam pilots up until now, but eventually they would be taking in raw recruits.

And then she started getting flowers. First it was at work, beautiful bouquets of roses and lilies. Noin had figured they were from Zechs until the third bouquet arrived. Zechs was never this extravagant, and the more she thought about it the less the extravagant bouquets seemed his style. She had been getting flowers for two weeks when they started arriving at home as well as at work.

That bothered her. The loft she and Zechs shared was one of their better kept secrets. While they were public servants, they were also rather private people, and their home was their sanctuary. Its location was known to a trusted few, and that was it. For flowers from an unknown sender to be arriving there was an invasion of her privacy that she did not like at all.

With the flowers arriving at her home came another unwelcome feeling. Noin was almost certain someone was watching her. She hadn't been able to catch them at it, but she knew the feeling of eyes following her every movement rather well. The sensation didn't show up in the office, but whenever she went out, it followed her. It had yet to invade work or the loft, but it was enough to make Noin worried. And she couldn't report it without any evidence. She would sound pretty silly reporting that no she hadn't seen anyone following her but she thought they were. It would be a great way to end up at a psych evaluation.

So Noin kept quiet and started keeping track of everything that even remotely seemed odd. She didn't think she was being that paranoid, and when the gifts started arriving, she finally had something to actually report. At first they were fairly normal romantic gifts, chocolates and other candies. Then they progressed to more intimate items: lingerie and jewelry. It was actually fairly expensive jewelry if far to gaudy for her tastes.

Zechs had arrived home about then. He had known something was wrong from her welcome home. She had practically collapsed in his arms.

"Love?"

"When we get home," she sighed. "I want to keep this quiet for now."

He frowned but kept his peace until they had reached home. Noin had made tea and then began laying things out from the very beginning. By the time she was finished, she was curled up in Zechs' lap, her head tucked under his chin and his arms tightly around her.

"I don't like this. There's nothing to trace. The purchases were made online and paid for with cash. There's no paper trail, electronic or otherwise. Whoever is doing this is professional. And there's nothing to indicate if this is personal against me or if it's part of something bigger." She sighed. "I know someone is watching me. I just can't prove it."

Zechs hugged her tightly. "It'll be all right. He has to mess up sometime. When he does, we'll be ready."

And just like that she had gained an overprotective presence at her side at nearly every moment. It would have annoyed her except Noin was beginning to get seriously concerned. Something had to happen soon to up the ante. The stalker had been escalating from the start, and for nothing to change would be a break in the pattern. Logically, the next step for the stalker to take would be make things more personal, either by giving her evidence that she was being watched or finding some other way to contact her.

Except, nothing happened. And it unnerved her. Noin spent the next few days waiting for something to happen. Maybe it was Zechs' presence or maybe the stalker had just lost interest, but Noin didn't like not knowing what was yet to come. And so when Mr. Lighton had requested to go over conference security plans with a Preventer, it had seemed like a good distraction. The meeting would be in Relena's office building after all, and that was one of the safest places to be.

Zechs had been running late, so she had arrived alone. And she had walked right into a trap. Noin had barely entered then man's office before she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun.

"How could you? I thought you were different, special."

She had no idea what he was ranting about. Noin tried backing towards the door.

"Don't! Don't think you can get away with it. I saw you with him."

She stopped moving.

"I don't understand." She needed to keep him talking. Zechs was on his way here, and then she'd have back up. She didn't dare go for the gun in her purse until she had some sort of a distraction. "Who are you talking about?"

He snarled at her. "Don't play dumb. I thought you were perfect. Beautiful, intelligent, modest, everything I needed in a wife to complete my image. But then you shack up with that murderer, and I realized that you were just a common whore. After all, who else would put up with that monster."

Noin bit back her normal reaction to his words; she couldn't afford to loose her temper right now. A mistake could get her killed. There was noise behind her, and Noin waited for an opportunity she could use. Her gun was in her purse due to the security check at the building entrance, but it was loaded.

"Can't we talk about this?" she stalled. "I didn't realize you felt that way about me."

"It's too late for that. You've already made your bed. Now you have to sleep in it."

The door behind her was opening. Noin's hand dove into her purse as a shot rang out. Her shoulder was on fire, but that didn't stop her automatic reaction. A second shot rang out, and Lighton dropped. A pair of hands caught her as she slumped towards the floor, and Heero flashed by, moving to check on Lighton.

"He's dead. I'll call Sally."

Zechs' hands were gentle. "Are you hurt anywhere besides your shoulder?"

"No."

"Good."

She didn't know how she could have walked into this. She was an experienced professional. She'd worked cases like this in the past, and still she walked into this.

"Noin?" Sally was kneeling beside them now. "Let me take a look."

Noin closed her eyes, leaning into Zechs a little more. His arms tightened, and she felt safe. He murmured something into her hair about not worrying and how it was all over. She smiled despite the pain, knowing that she had nothing to worry about as long as he was there.


	30. Checkmate

Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list eta. This is AU and a shortened version due to 's rating policy. A full version of this chapter can be found at my livejournel. The link is in my profile. Theme 30: Haphazard. A special thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. I deeply appreciate your support.

* * *

**Checkmate**

Noin stretched slightly and curled back into the warmth at her side as she opened her eyes. Sunlight streamed over the bed from the tall windows of the suite she and Zechs shared when visiting Relena. Zechs murmured sleepily behind her and held her closer. She let him sleep as her eyes traced the haphazard trail their clothes made across the floor. Her lips curled into a smile as she remembered the events of the past evening.

* * *

Laughing, the pair tumbled into Zechs' suite, not bothering to turn on the lights. The full moon illuminated the room perfectly well. They had taken their leave of Relena's New Year's gala early, slipping out with two of the bottles of ice wine and a pair of Champaign flutes. Neither felt the need to ring in the New Year with anyone else's company.

"You still owe me a game of chess." Zechs set the glasses down next to the chessboard set up on the table next to the windows.

Noin slid into one of the two chairs. "I suppose I do. Shall we make things a little more interesting in honor of the coming year?"

"What did you have in mind?"

She accepted the glass of wine he offered. "Strip chess. For every piece captured, one of us looses a piece of clothing."

"Deal."

They clinked glasses to seal the agreement, and the game began. Noin was the first to loose pieces, a pair of pawns, and her delicate black heels started the pile of clothes. Zechs' tie and jacket followed. Noin's jewelry and his socks and shoes soon littered the floor around the table. Zechs poured them both another glass of wine.

"Are you trying to impair my judgement, Zechs?" She traced the rim of the glass. "You already have the advantage you know."

He smiled as she took another piece and slid off his tuxedo jacket. "Oh? You've always beaten me two times out of three when we play."

His shirt soon joined the jacket. Noin smiled as she considered her next move. Zechs took one of her castles. Noin sighed and rose to her feet. She slowly untied the bow that held the halter of her dress up before letting the fabric go. The plum silk slid down her form and puddled around her feet. Noin smiled as his breath caught at the sight of the black lace of her bustier, panties, garter belt, and stockings.

It wasn't surprising that she made the next few victories. Zechs was down to his boxers while she had merely lost her stockings. When he took her bishop, Noin slipped the garter belt off and let it dangle from her fingers before tossing it towards him. Zechs caught the scrap of silk and lace.

"So confident, _il_ _mio contessa_?"

"I need only one more move to win, your highness. You need two."

"We'll see about that."

She didn't know if Zechs was simply distracted by the view or was baffled by her tactics on the board, but by the end of her next turn, Noin had captured his queen and put his king in checkmate.

"I believe the game is mine." Noin fingered the ebony wood of the queen.

"So you have." Zechs rose from his seat and came to stand before her. Drawing her out of her chair, he smiled. "And to the victor goes the spoils. _Che cosa desiderate, il mio amore?_"

Her arms slipped around his waist, fingers playing with the waistband of his boxers, as she met his eyes. "_Voi. Appen voi_."

Zechs kissed her. Noin sighed and leaned into the kiss, opening her mouth when he flickered his tongue against her lips. She slipped away from him when he tried to undo the bustier.

"Uh, uh." She waggled a finger at him. "You owe me a forfeit. I won after all."

Noin perched on their bed, chin resting on her knees, and waited expectantly. Zechs simply smiled and divested himself of the silk boxers. The next thing she knew, Noin was pinned to the bed with Zechs dusting open mouthed kisses across her collarbones. When he kissed her mouth again, Noin slipped her tongue into his mouth, battling him for control of the kiss. She felt his hands slip under her, loosening the laces of her bustier, as his lips parted from hers and began investigating the skin the lace covered instead.

She gasped as his fingers tweaked a nipple. Zechs pushed the lace away from her other breast and took her other nipple into his mouth. Noin moaned and tried to move against him, but Zechs kept her pinned beneath him.

"Oh, you don't, _il_ _mio contessa_." His fingers slipped into her panties. "We have all night."

He was teasing her now. His fingers dipped into her curls, just brushing against her clit. Noin retaliated by kissing whatever skin of his she could reach. She flicked her tongue across the pulse in his neck before sucking on the skin there. Zechs grunted, his fingers slipping a little deeper into her. His thumb lightly pressed against her clit, and all the breath left her body. She needed to get out of her undergarments _now_. They were too tight, and she wanted to feel his skin against all of her.

Apparently, Zechs had the same idea as she suddenly found herself astride him. The bustier was quickly pulled over her head and tossed it over her shoulder to join the rest of their clothes. Zechs' hands moved from her waist to cup her breasts, squeezing gently. She ground against him, wanting the last barrier between them gone. His fingers plucked at the fabric.

"How fond of these are you, _il mio amore_?"

She blinked and smiled. "They're replaceable."

"Good."

A quick yank and the damp scrap of fabric fluttered to the floor. Noin wrapped her fingers around him, squeezing gently. She smiled when he bucked into her hand and scooted farther down on his legs. Delicately, she flicked her tongue around his head before lapping at the underside of his shaft. Zechs moaned, his hands sliding into her hair. She took him into her mouth, sucking and bobbing up and down his shaft. His hands fisted in her hair, and Noin cupped his balls in one hand. Zechs bucked his hips at her again, and she let his penis slip from her mouth with a wet pop.

There was a dizzying sensation, and Noin found herself once again flat on her back. Zechs took the opportunity to kiss her deeply, his tongue mimicking the movement of his fingers inside her. His thumb circled her clit, applying just enough pressure to drive her to the edge but not over it.

"Zechs," she gasped for air, "stop teasing."

He smiled, curling his fingers inside her. "Why?"

She lost the ability for coherent thought when he pressed just a little harder on her clit. His fingers kept moving, dragging out her orgasm. Noin lay there feeling warm and rather hazy with bliss while Zechs licked his fingers clean, before kissing her softly. He pulled away from the slow kiss with a smile.

"It's almost midnight, _il mio contessa_." He began to toy with her breasts once again. "Are you ready for the new year?"

Noin cupped him gently. "Not as ready as you seem to be."

It was all the encouragement he needed. Zechs gently spread her legs, teasing her with short, shallow thrusts. Noin moaned, her fingernails leaving marks on his back. She bucked against him, wanting him deeper inside her. Kissing her fluttering pulse, Zechs acquiesced. He pulled her legs up around his waist, plunging deeper into her.

It didn't take him long to send her over the edge once more, and this time he followed after her. Foreheads pressed together, the two lay together in the afterglow. Finally, Zechs slipped out of her. She snuggled close and let the warm haze of sleep claim her, content that the New Year would be a good one.

* * *

A kiss on her shoulder drew Noin out of her remembrance. Zechs' hands traced patterns on her stomach as he nuzzled her neck. She twisted around to kiss him good morning.

"_Buon giorno, il mio caro_."

"Mmm, good morning." She brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Seven. We have plenty of time before Relena's official New Year breakfast."

Noin let out a content little sigh and snuggled against him. It was definitely going to be a good year.

* * *

Italian Translation:

_My Countess_

_What do you wish, my love?_

_You. Just you._

_My love._

_Good morning, beloved._


End file.
